over the winter i picked up an old 9m np v8 with the 'shear tip' in really good condition. i finally got to use it for the first time a few days ago, but no matter how much outhaul, or downhaul, it just flops around very loose, and looking at it while sailing it doesnt seem to be serving any purpose and just looks bad. it doesnt even twist with the rest of the sail at the top.
so just wondering, what was the point of the shear tip ? did it ever work?
im thinking i might just take the scissors to the shear tip and be done with it._________________i like longboards.

Scissors, cut in an arc.
You have the wrong mast tip plug.
Cutting cures the problems. I've seen more than 10 cut that way. My Diablo's are cut, as were my Z-1's. From sail tip top to top batten leech.

Yes, they worked - for about a month on a new sail with the right mast tip. The Shear Tip was an ill-concieved notion by Neilpryde, and poorly engineered. This is actually the first time I've heard of cutting it off, but if that's possible, go for it._________________Spennie the Wind Junkie
www.WindJunkie.net

Just pull out the rubber plug in the top of your mast and it will work.
I had a Z1 race sail and a Supersonic both with the shear-tip.
They both rigged and sailed great with the mast plug removed.
For some reason the part of the shear-tip that goes into the top of the mast was made very large and doesn't fit a standard mast plug. Just pull the standard plug out of the mast and rig the sail. The shear-tip will stand up and rotate as designed.

If you want to seal the end of the mast use a closed cell foam plug but keep it about 3/4 inch below the tip of the mast.

Last edited by carl on Tue Apr 02, 2013 1:13 pm; edited 2 times in total

I had a 6m V8 with a shear tip which I removed. After I cut the sail I added a bit of material and sewed some kevlar cloth the edge. The extra material was to prevent the panel from flapping and splitting because there was a single mylar edge after I cut off the top piece. You could easily use some sticky backed dacron cloth or even part of a large vinyl sticker for some extra reinforcement.

The plug that was used on the shear tip was quite a bit larger in diameter than most standard ones. It would be best if you could exchange it for a smaller pin unless it requires opening up the top of the sail. If it looks like too much work just cut off the tube and try rigging it. You already used the sail with your mast so it may seat well enough to remain in place but not too deep that it gets stuck.

It's possible that the shear tip hardware itself is broken. In that case none of the mast plug solutions will work. Here's a link to the user manual for a shear tip V8.
http://download.neilpryde.com/2002/pdf/manuals/v_um.pdf
The parts can be replaced -- if you can find them._________________mo

You cut in a curve so you don't get a floppy leech at the top mono panel.
The weight of the sheartip parts is noticible, so when you remove it, losing maybe 1/2 square feet, the sail feel slighter and livelier.

hey all, thanks for all the tips..
actually i did try it with the mast plug removed as well, and also mc lubed, and it was just marginally better, but still was just not really doing anything flopping around up there.
anyway, good to know it just wasnt this one particular sail, so time to take the scissors to the shear tip, and if it makes the sail feel a bit lighter and livelier, all the better._________________i like longboards.

Remove the shear tip batten and then slice off the floppy tip of the sail with scissors to make it square-topped. I put duct tape along the cut so there wouldn't be a bare monofilm edge. Didn't notice any difference in sail performance.

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